The past is past
by SwordStitcher
Summary: Jester probes Edward's past. He's loathe to discuss it. Just what has brought this up and why is she interested in knowing?


A/N: The first post of 2014 is a request from Bat-teen28. Fitting. Here ya go Batty! I hope it's what you wanted and I hope your new year is spectacular!

She requested Jester probing Edward's past. Edward is less than pleased to discuss it.

* * *

'Hey Eddie?'

'What is it Jester?' Edward sat back and sighed.

'Why did ya kill ya dad?'

That was a rather strange line of questioning. Edward glanced side-long at the small girl. In the light of the monitor room she looked even more withdrawn into herself. The mass of blankets shifted as she re-focused on the monitors.

'Never mind.' She muttered. 'It was stupid.'

His eyes never moved as he watched her sullen face. Normally Edward Nigma was as blind to other people's feelings as a hammer to the feelings of a nail but even he could see she was brooding on something.

True the week had been slow and Jester did not react well to slow. It was almost as if she was fearful of her own thoughts sometimes and sought to distract herself whenever possible.

'Why do you want to know about my dear old father, little J?' He muttered after a while.

For a few seconds, she was just silent. 'I just kinda figured you know so much about me and I hardly know anything about you.'

'That's because I want it like that.' Edward replied.

'But Eddie-'

'Do you want to know what I know about you little J?' His tone suddenly turned icy as his answer to her question failed to satisfy her.

'You know everything Ed-'

'Yes. I do.' He snarled. 'I know about Black mask, I know about Sorrow, I even know about Julian. Do you want me to make that public?'

'A'course not!' The blankets shifted as Jester's body language became defensive under the threats. 'I only asked about yer dad Eddie!'

'My past is my past. You should respect my decision to keep it to myself!' Edward snapped hotly.

'I can always ask Sphinx!'

His mouth ground to a halt. That one statement was like a grenade going off between them.

'You wouldn't possibly think…' Edward stammered and _that_ was his first mistake, he should have outright denied that Mist knew anything at all.

'I'm sure I'd get a straight answer outta _her_, Eddie.'

Edward Nigma, the elusive Riddler had been cornered by a teenager barely into puberty. It seemed she'd spent too much time with him and had picked up way too much. Evidently he was going to have to be careful from now on.

But threatening to go to Mist was underhanded and devious. He felt a pang of pride he really shouldn't be feeling, especially since she was using his own talents against him.

'My father was an alcoholic.' He muttered at last. 'He was by no means a good man while sober but drinking only made him worse.'

Why was his throat suddenly dry? Why did his chest feel too heavy to speak properly? He'd said and done a lot of terrible things in his life that could and should overshadow his father's attempts at parenting.

'I'm sorry ta hear that Eddie.' Jester muttered.

'Don't be. I killed him in the end. You could say that was the happiest memory he ever gave me.'

The darkness seemed only to grow in the heavy silence that had fallen.

'How did you do it?'

Edward blinked and turned to the mass of blankets in the chair next to him. Did Jester really just ask how he'd killed his own father? He wouldn't have pegged her as a sadist, nor particularly bloodthirsty.

His mouth, operating on some kind of automatic answered her. 'He hanged. I made it look like suicide.'

'You'd had enough?' Jester guessed.

'I suppose. Maybe I just wanted payback.' Edward shrugged. 'Sometimes I don't even know myself.' Which was a lie. Edward Nigma knew the _exact_ circumstances, but there were some things he'd never tell even Jester.

'I saw Julian. Last week.' She muttered, barely on the edge of hearing. 'I…Didn't know what to say to him.'

Ah. There was his answer. There was the reason she was interested in the past.

'Because he started it all.' Edward supplied.

She looked so lost, in the past. In beginnings. Perhaps that was why she was interested in his. What exactly did she want to find in his past? A shared turning point? A shocking event that set him and maybe her on this insane rollercoaster?

_You've been talking to psychiatrists again, haven't you Jester?_

'I…I wanted to ask him why me? Why my family? If he hadn't attacked my family then Sasha…Black Mask…'

Edward sighed. 'Jester, look at me.'

She jerked her head to look at him. Glittering little tear tracks ran down her cheeks. For a minute she seemed undecided between vulnerable or determined.

'The past is past. Let it be.' The sniffling he hadn't even noticed slowly petered out into nothing as she ruminated on his words. 'Unless of course it's revenge, and then it should be white hot and simmering.'

That brought a smile to her face, it was uncertain, true, but it was there. Jester should always have a smile on her face.

'Thanks Eddie.'


End file.
